THE FIRST PRAM

Evening Star, Issue 18337, 26 July 1923, Page 2

THE FIRST PRAM

BUILT 14D YEARS AGO

Although there arc 3,000,000 baby carriages—popularly known as prams ” —in Great Britain, the history of the industry has never been told, slates the ‘ Daily Chronicle.’ This was remarked ity Mr Samuel ,1. Sowell, who gave a lecture on the subject recently at the Society of Arts, bio said ho regarded the names ‘‘perambulator'’ and “bassinet” as uusatisfoctorv. Perambulator was derived from “per” and “ambu’.an,” meaning to walk through or over, and would be bettor applies! to the person who wheeled the vehicle. “ Bassinet ” was a French word, meaning a cradle made of wicker. In 17S0 the first “ pram ” was built, for Georgina Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of the fifth Duke of Devonshire. Two wore constructed by a coachmakcr, and both were still preserved at Chat-sworth. It was an interesting question, remarked .Mr Sewell, what became of the 50,C00 “prams” discarded every year. Fifty per cent, wore undoubtedly renovated, but the destination of the remainder was not unconnected, perhaps, n tUr. peso-box motors which were the delight of boys.